Production of aliphatic sulphonic acid compounds



? atented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATES .PA-TENT- err-lei:

HEINRICH BEBTSCH, OF CHEMNITZ, GERMANY, ASBIGNOR TO THE FIRE 3. TE. 363KB .sxrmueasmascmr, or cnmm'rz, or.

, A. GORPQRATICN F rnonucnon or surname actrnomc ACID oomeoc R0 Drawing. Applicatlon'flled March a0, 1930, Serial No. 487,571, and in Germany March 81, 1829.

A number of processes are known, which are based on the familiar idea of preparing products having as high a content of organically combined sulphuric acid as possia ble by means of as intensive an action of sulphonatingi) agents on oils, fats and the like, as POSS} 1 reaction conditions. For this purpose the sulphonating agents have been employed in m excess or very vigorously acting agents, such as chloro sulphonic acid, have been emloyed and, if necessary, the action assisted y suitable additions, particularly dehydrating agents, as well as by employing lower temperatures. All these processes,

however, do not succeed in producing a uniform product absolutely free from non-sulphonated fractions.

It has also already been proposed to de- 2 compose more readily hydrolyzable sulphuric acid esters, a ter sulphonatlon, by partial saponification of the acid sulphonate with the aid of water or diluteacid and to separate the regenerated fatty acids from at the more stable sulphuric acid esters, which have remained unsaponified. In this case, however, the saponification easily proceeds further than intended and in every case the yield of sulphonated products is considerac abl reduced thereby.

ft has now been found according to this invention that sulphonated oils or fatty acids absolutely free from non-sulphonated constituents may be obtained by mixing and as stirring sulphonated oils, after neutralizing the same, with halogen derivatives of hydrocarbons, for example, trichlorethylene, or other suitable inert solvents and allowing the solvent to settle. Two layers are formed,

as of which the upper layer contains the sulphonated oily product free from non-sulphonated fractions, whilst the lower layer consists of a solution of non-sulphonated oil or fat in trichlorethylene or the like. It has t5 been found that this non-sulphonated frace and by suitably choosing the Ewample 300 kgms of ricinoleic acid (anhydrous) are mixed with 169 kgms of acetic anhydride and sulphonated at 0 to 5 C. with 450 kgms of concentrated sulphuric acid. The crude sulphonate is allowed to flow with stirring into an ice-cooled solution of Glaubers salt. Themixture is allowed to settle,

' the salt solution separated and the remainder neutralized whilst cooling with caustic soda solution of 40 as. After a few hours Glaubers salt solution is again withdrawn or the I mixture filtered from the separatedsalt. The purified and neutralized sulphonate is treated with 600 litres of water and then thoroughly stirred with 500 kgms of trichlorethylene. The mixture is allowed to settle, the trichlorethylene separated and the sulphonate again thoroughly stirred with 500 kgms of trichlorethylene. After separating the trichlorethylene layer the sulphonate is adjusted to the desired fat content and is ready for use. It is absolutely free from non-sulphonated fractions and shows the valuable properties of the known highly sulphonated oils to an enhanced degree.

The non-sulphonated fat or fatty acid can be recovered, bydistilling off the solvent, and separating it from the water by salting out or by evaporating in vacuo.

What I claim is 1. The process of preparing neutralized sulphonic acid compounds of fatty acids and their esters comprising, mixing a neutralized sulphonated oil with only water and a halo gen derivative of a hydrocarbon of a nature adapted to dissolve an nnsulphonated fraction thereof, and allowing mid mixture to settle, whereby two layers form, one Containing the sulphonzrled oil and the other the dissolved unsulphonuted inn-lion.

2. The process in ueeordzinee with claim 1 wherein the halogen derivative of the hydrocarbon is trichlorethylene.

'lhe proeess in accordance with ('l:lllll 1 wherein the oil treated is a. highly snlphonated oil.

In testimony whereof l hereunto allix my signature this 7th day of March 1930.

HEINRICH BERTSCH. 

